On the very first day of school, night quietly fell.
Inside Fukuda Sogo's basketball club—coach's office.
Ichiro Kudo, newly assigned to the high school division, held a thick stack of membership applications in his hands. As he stared at each sheet, his fingers trembled slightly.
What had happened three days ago kept replaying in his mind.
And now, his chance had finally arrived.
Three days ago — Fukuda Sogo Academy, Principal's Office.
"Are you serious, Kudo-kun?"
"Principal Watanabe, I'm serious. If I can't win the championship, I'll leave the academy."
"Kudo-kun, Fukuda Sogo has room for you. We're not a heartless place. I just hope you don't lose too badly."
"Principal…"
"Go. Do your best to fulfill your promise."
The memory ended.
Ichiro Kudo took a deep breath and began looking through the applications one by one again.
On the side, two sheets he had already pulled out earlier stood out clearly.
One had elegant, refreshing handwriting—Shimizu Rena's.
The other was wild and unrestrained, the name Haizaki Shogo written boldly across it.
Then, Ichiro Kudo pulled out several more special applications.
Suzuran Karasu — from Rinnan High, position: Center, one of the Rising Stars.
Okawa Sawano — from Gyokute Junior Highl, position: Center.
Kimura Tosho — from Tao Academy, position: Power Forward, one of the Rising Stars.
Harano Shinichi — from Ropponmatsu Academy, position: Point Guard.
These four applications were placed together with Haizaki Shogo's.
They were all players Kudo already knew.
Why?
Because of the player data sheet Shimizu Rena had collected earlier.
After Rena organized the data, she had shared it with him once. When Kudo first saw it, he was shocked—then ecstatic.
Now, for these four players, their strengths, positions, and even signature skills were already clear in his mind.
And all of this credit belonged entirely to the yet-to-officially-joined basketball manager—Shimizu Rena.
Thinking about Rena's detailed information and the special ability Haizaki designed for her—[Weakness Exploitation]—Kudo felt heat rise in his chest.
The Interhigh…
With them, there should be a place for me.
A place for Fukuda Sogo.
The bell for the end of sixth period rang, followed by soft background music.
Shimizu Rena, once again seated in front of Haizaki Shogo, turned around excitedly the moment the teacher left the room. She looked at Haizaki, whose face screamed life is suffering, and smiled brightly.
"Shogo-kun, let's go to the basketball club together. Today's the first day we report in!"
"Got it, Shimizu-chan."
Haizaki tidied his desk, slung his bag over his shoulder, and followed behind Rena at an unhurried pace.
Student life in Japanese high schools in this world felt amazing.
Beautiful girls everywhere.
A pleasant campus environment.
Endless underclassman fans.
And most importantly, everything was clean and comfortable—something Haizaki really appreciated.
From memory, Fukuda Sogo's basketball team had always been strong enough to reach the semifinals. Their overall power wasn't bad at all.
With Ishida Hideki and Mochizuki Kazuhiro also in the high school division now, the team's level jumped several tiers.
There was a lot he could do here.
And soon, the Interhigh would begin.
With him joining Fukuda Sogo, they should finally be able to go head-to-head with the teams of the Generation of Miracles.
Thinking about it, Haizaki felt excitement surge through his body, like boiling waves of blood rushing through his veins.
Not long after, following Rena, Haizaki arrived at Fukuda Sogo's basketball club.
Inside the gymnasium, the second- and third-years stood on one side, while the newly joined first-years stood on the other.
The moment Rena and Haizaki walked in, every gaze turned toward them.
Facing all those eyes, Haizaki narrowed his own slightly and stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Rena.
Rena, holding onto Haizaki's clothes, walked in confidently with him.
Inside, they saw a familiar figure—Coach Ichiro Kudo—and both were surprised.
"Haizaki-san, Shimizu-san. We will meet again."
"Hello, Coach Kudo."
"Coach!"
Seeing their puzzled looks, Kudo explained calmly.
"I'm now the high school division's basketball coach. From today on, please take care of me."
Both Haizaki and Rena felt delighted.
They understood Kudo well and respected his ability.
Especially Haizaki—he had a deep impression of this coach who once built an extreme defensive system with sheer willpower.
In Haizaki's mind, Ichiro Kudo represented cold-blooded judgment, decisiveness, and tactical brilliance.
With leadership like that, Fukuda Sogo looked even more promising.
Just as Haizaki drifted into thought, another familiar voice sounded behind him.
"Haizaki-san, we meet again."
"Fukuda-kun!"
The speaker was Fukuda Sasaki.
Shimizu Rena looked surprised, while Haizaki showed a rare smile and nodded.
People like Fukuda Sasaki—ordinary yet stubborn—often made Haizaki feel both lucky and lazy at the same time.
At that moment, Haizaki suddenly felt that Fukuda Sasaki was like a catfish.
Put him into any team, and he would create the catfish effect.
The difference was that Fukuda wasn't a predator stronger than his teammates—
He was a struggler weaker than them.
And sometimes, the relentless effort of the weakest person becomes the driving force that pushes the whole team forward.
After realizing that, Haizaki felt as if his own mindset had risen to a higher level.
At this moment, Coach Kudo stepped forward with paper and pen in hand and addressed everyone.
"My name is Ichiro Kudo. From now on, I am your head coach."
"In a moment, there will be a scrimmage—first-years versus second- and third-years."
"The scrimmage will last three days. You'll all have plenty of chances to show yourselves."
"From now on, all of you are reserve players. There are no starters yet."
"I will choose the starting lineup from your performances in these matches."
"My choices will be fair, just, and transparent. Do you understand?"
Kudo's words made the thirty-plus first-years' eyes light up.
First-years becoming starters and entering the Nationals—just imagining it felt exhilarating.
At the same time, capable second- and third-years were also energized.
If new talent truly rose, it meant Fukuda Sogo's strength would explode—and they would go even farther.
The stage was set.
The real competition… was about to begin.
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